Oh wise ones enlighten me. GMC Motor home content.

My auto ADD has kicked in mega sized this time.

Anyone on here know anything about them? I've got a line on two of them. One in reasonable condition, one a basket case.

I know they are FWD using an Olds 455 setup out of a Toronado, but that's about it.

I can probably get them both for challenge money or less.

The beast in question.

The basket case:

My demented thought is repair one to use, and use the body and rear suspension off the other to build a matching enclosed trailer.

leaks & mold are a major issue on older RVs. Good luck!!

IIRC bodies are fiberglass sorta monochoc on a steel frame. Air suspension in rear, sorta weird. Driveline parts shouldn't be too bad and there is a fairly strong following for these things. Nice ones can be worth some money. there's gotta be a forum or something for these. Go forth!

WOW, I learned something. I didnt know those were wrong wheel drive. I like the enclosed trailer idea!

I have wanted an airstream motorhome for a while.

porksboy wrote: WOW, I learned something. I didnt know those were wrong wheel drive. I like the enclosed trailer idea! I have wanted an airstream motorhome for a while.

yeah, it allowed for a much lower floor.

All i keep picturing is Bill Murray in fatigue's yelling SIR yes SIR Sir. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stripes_(film)

Last year I talked to a guy at Vogel State Park that had a completely restored one. Too cool for words. According to him, all the engineering and build was actually done by GM, it's not a GM drivetrain stuck in rebadged aftermarket crap. The beast supposedly rode and drove like a car, enough so that his (aged) missus was perfectly happy to take turns driving, even while towing his perfect 30k mile Subie Brat (yeah, guess why I was talking to him)

I've always wanted one. I think they'll eventually be icons like the 1930's GM streamliner busses, but much more common. Go for it!!

44Dwarf wrote: All i keep picturing is Bill Murray in fatigue's yelling SIR yes SIR Sir. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stripes_(film)

Same thing I thought too.

Those are actually still very sought after and even getting a basket case, let alone a "good" one and a parts vehicle for challenge money is unheard of. I'd be very very tempted if close to me..

porksboy wrote: WOW, I learned something. I didnt know those were wrong wheel drive. I like the enclosed trailer idea! I have wanted an airstream motorhome for a while.

Wrong wheel drive for a sports car, right wheel drive for an RV (or IMO a passenger van!) I don't know why nobody else seems to have figured that out earlier or since.

Thats what the Blastoliner is built from. There is a video on Jay Lenos garage of him driving it.

URBAN ASSUALT VEHICLE.. NUFF SAID.

Ooooo. A Palm Beach Edition.

My old bosses inlaws have a Palm Beach that they drive everywhere.

SyntheticBlinkerFluid wrote: Ooooo. A Palm Beach Edition. My old bosses inlaws have a Palm Beach that they drive everywhere.

This picture is so full of win it defies description, but I'll try.

GMC Palm Beach edition motor home, check. His 'n hers beach cruisers, check. Yugo with a roof rack and wood on the side, check. Old looking house with huge-assed deck, check.

Good job!

Interesting updated front end I found on the gooles with no explanation.

Cool source of info:
http://www.gmceast.com/about/
http://www.gmceast.com/about/Bovee_Idiots-Guide.pdf

Heck. That's what that guy down the road has two of! He's got one for sale occasionally. They're well kept, and sheltered from rain. Next time he's got it out I'll have to stop by and admire it.

Junkyard_Dog wrote:

SyntheticBlinkerFluid wrote: Ooooo. A Palm Beach Edition. My old bosses inlaws have a Palm Beach that they drive everywhere.

This picture is so full of win it defies description, but I'll try. GMC Palm Beach edition motor home, check. His 'n hers beach cruisers, check. Yugo with a roof rack and wood on the side, check. Old looking house with huge-assed deck, check. Good job!

Well they were just visiting. That is my boss's house, he found out when he gutted it that it was actually a Sears mail order house.

Also what you don't see is the two garages and 4 shipping containers that have about 20 various oddball European and American cars.

Wrong wheel drive for a sports car, right wheel drive for an RV (or IMO a passenger van!) I don't know why nobody else seems to have figured that out earlier or since.

Completely agree with that....

When i first saw one of these GMC motor homes in real life a few months ago, i was totally entranced by it, and i dont have any particular interest in RVs. The more i learn about them, the more i want one. Seems like the kind of vehicle i might keep for life if i was able to snag one!

In reply to jrw1621:

I found those last night while beating around the internet. Thanks though.

I'm supposed to call the guy today. If we can come together on the price, I'm thinking I'll be the new owner of a couple of RVs today.

Just what I needed, another project.

http://gmcmotorhome.info/buygmc.html

What gas mileage should one expect with the 455? What about when towing a second vehicle Gas mileage. Depends a lot on the condition of the engine, tires, hilly terrain vs. flat, etc. Probably 7 to 8 mpg is typical but some GMC netters have reported up to 10. If you pull a car it'll drop about 1/2 to 1 MPG. This also depends on the weight of the Toad. There have been a lot of postings on this topic. I think the general consensus is that it also depends on the driver. Two drivers of the same vehicle will probably get different mileage due to the speed they drive, the acceleration rate, etc.

Now I know I need this.

Any RV that can do a burnout has got to be good.

I would think that the FG body would be less prone to leaking and easier to repair as well.

Land speed record @ 102.75 MPH on the salt at Bonneville.

In reply to jrw1621:

Yeah I was told that it will get the same mileage as any gasoline powered RV of the same size.

I wonder if the transaxle could take the torque of a DuraMax.

My parents had one when they were new and they liked it. They did have a few problems (leaking airbag plumbing, etc) but overall it was pretty good. I think even a dead one is worth too much to cut up though, you would be better off keeping whatever good parts you needed from the dead one and selling it to fund fixing up the nice one.

The way these were designed was with the entire rear panel as a separate piece. There was an outfit re-doing these and would strip it out through the back. The dead one would be easy to convert to trailer duty because of the design.